The Grenada gazette., 1887-12-24
A WIND RIVER VAR N.
An Old Hunters Remarkable Discovery IN
Wyoming Chasnl.

-, An Old Hunters Remarkable Discovery
" Wyoming Chasnl.
The summit of one of the loftia
I. peaks environing the sources of d
Green river is ever surrounded by
, dense mass of vapor. This vap
mass, to the uneducated mountain ey
means the semblance of q huge, fl cet
cloud. and rs such many wanderin
tenderfoot has maryeled at the fal
tastic beauty Of its ever.changin
forms.
But the vapor is not the vapor of tn
upper air. 1t comes from the bowel
of the earth, and though the fact ha
always been known to the Indians q
the region and the mountain hunter
and trappers, the place or means O
the vapor generation has ever been
mystery unsolvablc. But unsolvabl
is now in the past tense. This noun
tain mystery is mystery no longer
The vapor source has been discovered
and the vail Of the mountain pcak ha.
been lifted. u.
The other day there arrived in Ian.
der sturdy specimen of the wild west.
ern manhood. With hair and beard
of unkempt luxuriance; complexion
upon which the western sun and wind
had long and deeply impressed their
dark seal; form lean, 1.-THE and mus.
cular; al eye like hawk, and grip
like a grizzly; a weather stain ed,
smoke-tanned, camp-soiled canvas
suit and stout but well-worn mocca-
sins; this man with tho noiseless
active step. courageous front, single
heart. simple faith and unassuming
demeanor was the Rocky Mountain
hunter and trapper-the vanguard of
American civilization and the knight
errant of Americas nineteenth CEN
tury.
1t was this hero Of close and deadly
conflict with the royal mountain lion
and the lordly bruin who told in
simpleyet vivid and picturesque lam
guage the story of the solving Of the
encircling mystery Of the peak-the
discovery of the source of the cloud
like vOpor.
About mile distant from the base
OF the vapor peak huge cliff blocks
up a narrow and deep valley Into
this tuhnel-like valley our hunter one
day strayed. and followed it to the foot
of the obstructing cliff Here he per.
ceived chasm-like cleft in solid rock,
Just where it left the valley soil.
The opening was barely wide
enough to admit the passage of a
nan. but the mountain adventurer un-
lestatingly squeezed himself in. The
,hasm led into the solid cliff and soon
began to widen. Finding the way
more open and his footing more secure
Is he advanced, the explorer boldly
pushed forward, and soon Sound the
darkness surrounding him pierced
With intermittent flashes Of brilliant
isht, while the atmosphere began to
,row heated.
On he went through the passage in
he living rock, with tho light flashes
more brilliant and the heat waves
more powerful. until when half mile
lad been traversed there came great
ush of hot air, and in vivid blaze of
lght there burst upon our hunter a
lght which filled him with awe and a
ointment as near akin to terror as his
tout heart could harbor. He stood
pom the edge Of u vast SUBJ
eirancan geyser field. Far above
lm-a dazzling vista-there stretched
eysers. small in size, but coun tless in
umber These threw into the heat.
harsed air constant columns of boil.
lg water. tipped with fire, which
arted hither and thithcr among the
louds of vapor.
AS our adventurcr stood upon the
ige OF this extraordinary subter-
anean gcyser field he speedily real
.ed that he had reached the end of
is explorations. The heat grew more
ltense as he gazed upon the ''lurid"
'ene, and a quick retreat was de-
landed. Before he retraced his steps.
owever he noticed strong draught
'aversing the hidden geyser-fields.
nd it was apparent thes, geysers
ere situated under the vapor peak.